7 Tips for Care of Alzheimer’s Patients With Diabetes
December 17, 2007 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
It’s difficult enough when you family member has no health problems other than Alzheimer’s But when there are other issues, such as diabetes, their care becomes more complex for family caregivers and for staff at a nursing home.
Here are 7 tips which hopefully will make diabetes care for Alzheimer’s patients a bit easier:
1. Learn about diabetic diets, especially if you’re the one preparing the food.
2. Learn about your family member’s medical needs.
3. When your family member resides in a nursing home, make sure you note this on the forms you fill out. Diabetes should show up in their health records, but be sure you have it documented.
4. Coordinate with caregivers at the nursing home and make sure they know your family member has diabetes. Monitor diet at a nursing home or with a caregiver in the patient’s home.
5. You’ll find a diabetic becomes forgetful about medications and diet. They eventually won’t know why their diet is restricted and may rebel against this. So..don’t take it personally when the patient gets upset with you as they lose the ability to comprehend diet and medication.
6. Seek advice from the patient’s physician about their care. Being informed makes it easier to cope.
7. Remember you aren’t expected to know and do everything, only the best you can.
When I cared for Mother and Auntie, both of whom had Alzheimer’s, I had some experience with diabetes. Although Mother didn’t experience this complication, her sister, Auntie, was a diabetic. When she lived with Mother and I cared for both of them there, I had to watch Auntie’s diet. For some reason, she craved sweets like she never had before.
Mother was concerned and tried to control Auntie’s diet when I had to return to my home in another state. However, because she was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s herself, she wasn’t always aware what Auntie ate…or managed to sneak from cupboard to her room.
However, we must have managed fairly well, in spite of not being perfect (see tip #7 above), because Auntie lived to be 88 years old.
(c)2007 Mary Emma Allen
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Thank you Mary Emma – especially for #7.